Automatic grand piano.



A gigffj N g59,137, PATENTED JULY 2 1907.

J. W. DARLEY, JR. AUTOMATIC GRAND PIANO.

A?PLIOATION FILED JAN. 12, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

witnesses PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

2 SHIiETS-fiHEET 2' J. W. HARLEY, JR. AUTOMATIC GRAND PIANO.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 12, 1907.

IIUIIHIHHHIINWWIIIIHHUHHIPHH. IIHHHHHIIHHHH H Hi lH UNITED sTATns JOHN W. nARLEnJnl, or

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC GRAND PIANO.

No. 859, 187. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed January 12,1907. Serial No. 351,989.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. DARLEY, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useiul Improvements in Automatic Grand Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

My invention relates to improvements in automatic grand pianos, and the object of my invention is to produce a piano of this class in which the keys may be operated either by hand or by pneumatic means, in which the front of the keys will not be moved by the operation oi the pneumatic means and in which the keys are never locked, but can always be played by hand, so that a duet can be played with the roll music and by hand at the same time, and so that the keys will remain stationary during the operation of the pneumatic means. v I

.Withthese objects in view, my invention consists in the construction and combinations of parts as hereinaiter described and claimed. I

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a cross section of the front of a grand piano, showing my invention applied thereto, parts being shown in elevation and certain parts being omitted, as they are either Well known in the art or else covered by prior applications; Fig. 2 is a front View of the same showing the fall board folded back andthe music rest removed; the motor shown in Fig. 1 being omitted in this figure; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the part of the gearing between the motor and the winding rolls; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in cross-section of part of the roll driving mechanism.

a represents the supporting legs, I; the lyre, c the key bottom, d the keyirame, e the pneumatic box, f and g the hinged folding lid, h a wooden partition covering the tracker pipes, i, j the winding roll, the tracker board, 5 the string frame, m the strings, n the dampers, o the sounding board, p the main part of the action, and q the motor, all of these parts being of the usual or well known construction.

T represents one of the keys pivoted at s in the usual manner to the key frame. The rear part of each of the keys r is cut away as shown in Fig. 1, and in the cut away portion is mounted a'pin t, which is provided with an enlarged head 11., to which is pivoted the forked end of a lever o, which carries the usual back check a). The lever 12 is provided near its rear end with a pin 9:, shown partly in dotted lines in Fig. 11, which pinworks in a cloth-lined slot y in the main pm of thereon end of the key 1' thereby guiding the'move'ment of the l lever o. This lever 11 is arranged to lift the dampers n I by means of the connectionsl and 2, in-the usuflVi-y,

whether it is operated by the key not by-the pneumatic means. Preferably a pad, such as 3, is interposed between the main part of the key T and the lever 'v. This lever is, therefore, carried bodily by the key, the pad 3 limiting its downward movement while it is free to move upward, as it is pivoted to the head 11. of the pin t.- Mounted in the lever 1) between the fulcrum and the pad is the capstan screw 4, which can be screwed up and down in the usual way, recess 5 being'provided in the main body of the key r to provide a clearance for the downwardly projecting end of the capstan screw. This capstan screw is adapted to strike againstthe lower part of the piano action p whenever the lever 11 is lifted. i

It is obvious from th e construction described that a blow on the front part of the key T will lift the lever '0 thereby lifting the damper 'n. andthe piano action p, causing the hammer to strike against'the strings. It is also obvious that if the lever 11 is lifted by pneumatic means, the front part or the key r will be unsi fected, but the damper will be lifted and the string struck by the hammer of the piano action. The le- VGIS 'I) are operated by pneumatic means from the pneumatic box 0 in the usual way. Furthermore, the levers v being pivoted. at their front ends and having capstan screws in the rear of said pivots, there is always -a downward pressure upon said levers 1) thus keeping them constantly in connection with the pneumatic means, and having a tendency to press said levers against their bearings in the heads ti, and thus keep the rear ends .of said keys always down againstthe cushions 6. Thus it will be seen that the keys 1' are never locked, hence they can always be played by erated independently of the keys by the pneumatic means, or by the keys themselves when, they are struck by the performer. Thus it is possible either to play roll music, or a player can use the roll music are never operated by the pneumatic means, which is a desirable feature in pianos of this construction.

7 represents the fall board, which is made larger usual pivots 8 and 9 about which it rotates. This fall board is cut away as shown at 10, in Fig. 2, and in dots ted lines in Fig. 1, for the reception of the music roll.

11 represents a shaft on the projecting end of which one end of the music roll is supported, said shaft being provided with a cut-away portion in which the winged end of the music roll pivot bearing is received in the usual way. 12.represents a..spring pressed socket for the music roll, whishparts operate in the usual manner. The shaft ll-extends through a holeprovided in the fall board nearly to the left hand side of the piano, and on the end of said shaft is provided a spur wheel and play a duet therewith on the keys. The keys 1 thg reception. of the pivot bearing 'on the other end of hand. It will also be seen that the levers 1) can be opto use the,keys in the ordinary way or to use the piano than usual near its lower end, and is provided with the Fig. 1. This spur wheel spur wheel 14 mounted on the said brackets, but also so that it can be shifted longitudinally therein. Loosely mounted on flanged sleeve surrounding the shaft 16 are the sprocket wheels 18 and 19, which wheels are used to drive the music roll and winding roll. Each of these wheels l8 and 19 has a projection, such as 20, on its. inside face, and the shaft 16 is provided with a projecting pin 2] adapted to engage either one of said pins on the wheels 18 and 19 according as the shaft is shifted to the right or to the left.

From the sprocket wheel 18 runs a sprocket chain 22, which passes over the sprocket wheel 23. Parallel to the sprocket Wheel 23 is a large gear wheel 24. The Wheels 23 and 24 are is revolubly supported on a screw stud 25 secured in the frame of the piano. The gear wheel 24 is arranged to mesh with the gear wheel 14 carried by the fall board. Hence it is evident, since the wheel 14 is conlowered without disturbing Thefall board is extended out wards forming a bulb, as shown at 26, the left hand end of which forms a. shield for the gear wheel 14, the keys '1 being cut away, as shown in Fig. l, to provide space for said bulb-like extension.

From the sprocket wheel 19 runs a sprocket chain 27, which gears with asprocket wheel 28. Parallel to the sprocket wheel 28 a gear wheel 30, both being rigidly secured on a sleeve supported on the screw .stud 29, which is secured in the piano frame. Gear wheel 30 meshes with a gear wheel 31 on the shaft 32 of the winding rollj, which is mounted in a box hinged asshown at 33 to the sides of the piano. This box, therefore, may be folded back in order to obtain access to the strings m to tune them, the gear wheels 30 and 31 simply separating during this folding back action, and meeting 7 position shown in Fig. l.

it represents the tracker board over which the sheet of music passes from the music roll to the winding roll. The tracker board is ordinarily concealed by a cover 38 hinged at 34 to the top of the box 35, and when it is folded upward it comes in line with the partition 36 forming a music rest, a ledge 37 serving to support'the lower end of the sheet of music.

rigidly mounted on a sleeve which when the box is folded forward into the l l l l l the fall board, that this fall I levers may be operated by the the player or by the pneumatic means. substantially as described.

2. In an automatic grand piano. the combination of keys. a lever pivoted on the rear part of each of said keys. dampers and means whereby the action of pneumatic de vices will lift the corresponding levers and thereby the dampers from contact with the strings substantially as described.

3.111 an automatic grand piano. keys and a lever pivoted on the rear keys. said lever being the piano action. for turn and for lifting scribed.

4. In an automatic grand piano. the combination of keys. a lever pivoted to the rear portion of each of said keys. said lever being provided with means whereby upon the actuation of the key the piano action is moved. the return action of the hammer is checked. and the corresponding damper lifted from the string. substantially as the combination of part of each of said providedwith means for operating checking the hammers on their re the dampers, substantially as dedescribed.

a. In an automatic grand piano. keys. a lever pivoted to the rear part of each 01' said keys. each of said levers being provided with means whereby upon the action of an appropriate pneumatic device. the piano action is moved. hammer is checked. and the damper is lifted for the corresponding string. substantbllly as described.

'6. In an automatic piano. the combination of pneumatic means for operating the string striking mechanism a horizontal frame provided with strings. mechanism for sirik ing each of said strings. keys for opcrnting said mcchun ism. and connections whereby said mechanism is operated by the pneumatic means. said connections being so an ranged that when the pneumatic means is operating said mechanism. said keys are pressed into unopcraled position. substantially as described.

7. In an automatic piano. the combination of pneuiuuiic means for operating the string striking mechanism a horithc combination of.

zontal frame provided with strings. mechanism for slrik-,. ing each of said strings separately. said mechanism being;

located below said mechanism. and may be either JOHN W. nucmir, Jn. Witnesses:

(.liAiiLhs K. BUETTGER. 

